This invention relates to non-water-sprinkling type snow melting method and system, and, more particularly, to a method and system for melting snow lying on roads or building structures in a cold snowy area without sprinkling water, wherein a heat exchanging means is provided in an artesian well at a level of the underground to improve heat exchanging efficiency, the heat exchanging means being connected to a heat radiating pipe means laid under the roads or building structures on the ground through conduits, and an antifreezing fluid is circulated through the heat exchanging means, the conduits and the heat radiating pipe to prevent the heat radiating pipe from being damaged due to the freezing thereof.
In the known art of this field, there is provided a snow melting system of non-water-sprinkling type, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open (Kokai) No. 62-206,104 (206,104/1987), in which underground water warmed by geothermy is pumped up by a pumping means from within one artesian well as a pump-up well and fed to another artesian well as a water returning well through a conduit and a heat exchanging means disposed on the ground. A heat radiating pipe or pipes are laid under the road on the ground and the antifreezing fluid filled in the heat radiating pipe is circulated through the heat exchanging means disposed on the ground by the pumping means to carry out the heat exchanging operation to melt the snow which has fallen on the road and to prevent the same from freezing.
The snow melting system of the above described type, however, is accompanied by a significant problem such that, because the heat exchanging means is itself cooled by cold outside air in cold snowy season, and a relatively large amount of heat is lost, so that high heat exchanging efficiency is not expected. In addition, the location of the heat exchanging means requires much space on the ground.
In order to eliminate these problems, it may be required to apply a specific heat retaining or heat insulating installation or to further prepare a structure for accommodating the heat exchanging means so as not to cool the same. This, however, requires more complication for the establishment and increased cost for arranging the snow melting system.